Edisa rallies to narrow score in Jockey Club Oaks

ELMONT, N.Y. – Vive La France!

Those three words sums up the inaugural running of the $750,000 Jockey Club Oaks Invitational after French invaders Edisa and Wonderment finished first and second, respectively, Saturday at Belmont Park in the third and final leg of the New York Racing Association's rich Turf Tiara for 3-year-old fillies.

Edisa rallied down the center of the course, finally wearing down Wonderment to register a popular three-quarter-length decision in the 1 3/8-mile Jockey Club Oaks. Dyna Passer was the best of the U.S. contingent, finishing another 1 1/4 lengths farther back in third.

Concrete Rose captured the first two divisions of the Turf Tiara, the Belmont Oaks and Saratoga Oaks, but is sidelined for the remainder of the year due to a hairline fracture.

Edisa rated near the rear of the field for the opening mile, swung out wide while appearing to briefly brush Art of Almost at the top of the stretch, and came on with a strong turn of foot down the middle of the course leaving the furlong grounds to best Wonderment in the final strides. The latter, off slowest, recovered to race well placed between horses in midpack down the backstretch, angled inside the eventual winner turning for home, rallied to a brief advantage between calls in late stretch, but could not last.

Edisa, a homebred daughter of Kitten’s Joy, is owned by the Aga Khan. She was ridden to victory by Flavien Prat for trainer Alain de Royer-Dupre, who is best known in the U.S. for having won the inaugural Breeders’ Cup Turf with Lashkari in 1984. Edisa completed the distance in 2:17.02 over an inner turf course rated good. She paid $5.20 as the favorite in a field of eight 3-year-old fillies.

“I was a little afraid because the course was good to soft and she’s better on firm ground, but she was still good enough to win like that,” said de Royer-Dupre. “Her main qualities are her turn of foot and the crossing of her breeding. Her father is from the U.S. and her mother is from a great Irish family for long distance. And she takes the speed of her father and stays like her mother. It’s a very good family.”

Edisa was scheduled to return home on Tuesday but her trainer did not rule out the possibility she could return to the U.S. this fall for the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf.

“I don’t know if she’s good enough, but it’s possible we could come back for the Breeders’ Cup,” said Royer-Dupre. “She traveled very well and was calm before the race. In Europe, those months have very soft ground and there would be a better chance of her getting firm ground at that time of year if we come back here.”